Are “kanji” and “Chinese characters” the same thing?
@Yes, with a slight reservation. Nearly all of the characters used in Japan originated in China. The exceptions are those characters the Japanese created themselves, modeled after the Chinese ones. Although there are some 2,000 Made in Japan characters overall, only eight are included in the 1,945 everyday use characters. For these reasons, and from the perspective of Japan studies, “kanji” and “Chinese characters” can be used interchangeably.
